Ethiopia

I've been in Addis Ababa since late Saturday night for a project and will head to Windhoek, Namibia on Saturday. My first impression when I got outside of the airport was the distinct smell of the city. Outside Accra's airport it was that slightly sweet and rotting tropical vegetation plus human sweat and red dirt smell, in Maseru (where a sheep was chewing at the edge of the runway fence!) it was the smell of grass and dust, and here it was a heady aroma of smoking spices. After crashing on Saturday night I managed to escape the hotel (typical expat Hilton gig with lots of Germans smoking and bitching about the hotel staff, drunk British business types, and snazzily dressed Kenyan businessmen) with an adventurous colleague yesterday and go to see the Ethnological Museum of the University of Addis Ababa. It was a great overview of the history and cultures of Ethiopia. The cab driver whose name was "Fish" dropped us off at the main gate of the University where we quickly realized that we had stumbled into the midst of a graduation ceremony. We managed to sneak into the museum despite the fact that it was officially closed (a sympathetic caretaker!). After the museum we ventured out and caught a cab (which was literally held together by duct tape and wire) to the Piazza where we had been told that we would find many cafes to sit in and watch a slice of Addis stroll by. Well, the Piazza (despite the romantic Italian images that it conjured) was basically a potholed street lined with several overcrowded cafes spilling over with fashionable young Ethiopians gabbing over coffee and tiramisu. Wow, I have to say that Ethiopians are among the most physically beautiful, not to mention fashionable, people I've ever encountered! I opted for some fresh pineapple juice (yum!) after overdosing on coffee during the morning. Speaking of coffee I have found my coffee nirvana at last!!! I can't wait to try the more traditionally prepared coffee (hello caffeine overload) where they roast the beans over a small fire and then crush and brew them in a slender carafe type pot. Fuck Starbucks!

Other impressions of Addis Ababa so far include a time warp trip back to the Cold War era (hello Soviet style architecture!), an absolute tsunami of child beggars on the street, and lots of fabulous markets which sell everything from spices to amazingly colored textiles.